The Fisherman and the Golden FishA kindly old fisherman lived with his wife in a hut by the sea. One day, the fisherman caught a most beautiful fish.Fisherman: Ah, what a beautiful fish!Fish: Please let me go, for I am an enchanted fish, and if you let me go. I"ll give you anything that you ask for.Fisherman: Ok. I"d love a pretty little cottage for my wife and me to live in.The golden fish returned to the sea, and said to the fisherman.Fish: Go home then, your wife is in the cottage then.When the fisherman got home, he saw his new beautiful cottage.Fisherman: What a beautiful cottage!After several weeks, the wife was not happy.Wife: This cottage isn"t big enough for us now. Go back to your friend —— the fish and ask him for a castle.Fisherman: It"s not fair to do that. I can"t ask for more.Wife: Nonsense. Go and ask him, or there be no dinner for you tonight.The fisherman had to come to the sea.Fisherman: Fish, fish…Fish: What can I help you?Fisherman: My wife wants a castle.Fish: Go home then, she is already in it.When the fisherman got home, he found his wife in a grand castle with richly furnished rooms and servants to wait on her.Fisherman: We"ll be happy with this for the rest of our lives.But the wife wasn"t satisfied with everything next morning.Wife: Go and tell that fish that I want to be Queen of all land.Fisherman: I"ve asked him for enough already. I can"t ask him for anything more.Wife: Nonsense. Go and ask him.The fisherman had to come to the sea for the third time.Fisherman: Fish, fish…Fish: What does she want now?Fisherman: She wants to be Queen.Fish: Go home then, she"s already the Queen.When the fisherman got home, he found his wife in a beautiful palace ,seated on a golden throne with footman and maids–in–waiting.Fisherman: I hope that you"re satisfied now.Wife: Yes. But tomorrow you must go back to him, and tell him that I want to be an Empress!Fisherman: That"s ridiculous.Wife: As Queen I command you to go. If you don"t, I"ll have your head chopped off.The fisherman had no ideas, he had to come to the sea.Fisherman: Fish, fish…Fish: What does she want now?Fisherman: She wants to be an Empress.Fish: Then go home to your hut. You have asked for too much.After the fish said that words, he disappeared into the sea. From then on, the fisherman and his wife live their life simply in their old hut.
